The two mixed martial arts titans met at UFC 58 in March 2006, as
St. Pierre eked out a controversial split decision against the
Hawaiian. Penn has pushed for a rematch ever since, and St. Pierre
seems a willing participant.

“I want to be a real champion,” St. Pierre said at the post-fight
press conference for UFC 87. “I want to be the best in the world,
and to be the best in the world, you have to fight the best in the
world. I want to give a [title] shot to everybody who deserves
it.”

Penn (13-4-1), long heralded as one of the top five pound-for-pound
fighters in the sport, has posted three consecutive victories since
he returned to the lightweight division. He last appeared in May
when he stopped former champion Sean Sherk(Pictures) on strikes and defended his
155-pound belt at UFC 84.

St. Pierre (17-2) has won 10 of his last 11 fights, including four
straight. He battered Fitch for five rounds, going the distance in
a championship bout for the first time in his career. The
27-year-old Canadian called Fitch his toughest test to date.

“After the third round, I was looking at the clock,” St. Pierre
said. “Jon
Fitch(Pictures) -- he never died. I tried to
finish him many times. I was like, ‘My God, what am I going to have
to do to beat this guy.’”

Florian wants second crack at lightweight
title

One-time lightweight title challenger Kenny
Florian(Pictures) positioned himself as a top
contender for Penn’s 155-pound crown with his unanimous decision
victory against Roger
Huerta(Pictures) at UFC 87. However, with Penn
poised to move up in weight for a ballyhooed rematch with St.
Pierre, Florian (10-3) understands he may be forced to wait until
sometime in 2009 for his crack at lightweight gold.

“I don’t really want to wait around,” said Florian, who dropped a
unanimous decision to Sherk in a match for the vacant UFC
lightweight championship in 2006. “I want to fight before the end
of the year. Hopefully, I’ll fight around the same time [as Penn
and St. Pierre] and then fight B.J. after that.”

On a five-fight winning streak, Florian’s stock has never been
higher. The 32-year-old believes fans want to see him test his
skills against Penn, one of only two men to hold UFC titles in two
weight divisions. While Florian would undoubtedly be a heavy
underdog if the fight were to come to fruition, he believes he
could hold his own against Penn inside the cage.

“Obviously, the fans will love the fight,” Florian said. “I think
I’m going to win every fight. I’m not going to go in there and lay
down for anybody. Yeah, he’s talented; he’s a great fighter, but
when the UFC tells me to fight someone, I’m going to train to
win.”

Bonuses awarded to quartet

St. Pierre and Fitch were handsomely rewarded for their efforts in
a five-round battle for the welterweight championship at UFC 87, as
they received matching 60,000-dollar bonuses for “Fight of the
Night.” St. Pierre retained his title with a one-sided unanimous
decision over the hard-nosed but overmatched Indianan.

Unbeaten in four fights since his upset loss to Matt Serra(Pictures) at UFC 69 in April 2007, St.
Pierre took down Fitch at will, punished him on the ground and had
the former collegiate wrestler in trouble on several occasions. In
addition, the Canadian became the first man to ever pass Fitch’s
guard inside the Octagon. St. Pierre’s quickness and technique
surprised Fitch, a product of the American Kickboxing Academy in
San Jose, Calif.

“He’s a little bit faster than I expected,” Fitch said. “I thought
he was fast but not that fast. His overall strength wasn’t super
imposing. His hips are incredibly strong and quick. It’s a
God-given gift that you can’t really learn.”

St. Pierre and Fitch were not the only combatants who left the
Target Center a little heavier in the wallet.

Two-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Demian Maia(Pictures) picked up the 60,000-dollar
“Submission of the Night” bonus after he secured a fight-ending
rear-naked choke in the third round against the tenacious Jason
MacDonald(Pictures). An emerging force at 185 pounds,
Maia (8-0) remained undefeated in eight professional bouts. He has
finished his last five opponents.

Finally, Rob Emerson, a cast member on season five of “The Ultimate
Fighter” reality series, earned a 60,000-dollar bonus for “Knockout
of the Night” after he destroyed Manvel
Gamburyan(Pictures) in just 12 seconds. Emerson (8-6)
leveled Gamburyan with a straight right hand and then put him away
with a left on the ground. Gamburyan (8-3) had never been knocked
out in 10 previous fights.

This & That

Two of the longest winning streaks in major mixed martial arts
competition came to an end at “Seek and Destroy.” Fitch had won 15
straight matches dating back to his December 2002 defeat to
Wilson
Gouveia(Pictures), and Huerta had reeled of 13 wins
in a row since his no contest with Melvin
Guillard(Pictures) in June 2004 … UFC rookies went
1-4 at UFC 87, with Jon Jones scoring the only victory among
Octagon newcomers. Jones (6-0) defeated International Fight League
veteran Andre
Gusmao(Pictures) by unanimous decision … Royce Gracie(Pictures)’s longstanding record of eight
consecutive victories inside the UFC -- a mark Fitch tied --
remains safe for now. However, UFC middleweight champion Anderson
Silva(Pictures) will seek his eighth straight win
against Patrick Cote(Pictures) at UFC 90 on Oct. 25 in Chicago …
“The Ultimate Fighter” alumni went 3-2 at “Seek and Destroy,” as
American Top Team’s
Ben Saunders, Florian and Emerson all notched victories.
Saunders (6-0-2) submitted
Ryan Thomas with a second-round armbar.